Railway Warsaw - St. Petersburg and urbanization of Vilnius and Bialystok regions

Rail transport is one of the most important part of financial-technical basis in production. It plays a big role in rational placement, and in the development of productive forces of the country. Rail transport is a stimulator of the industrial development and urbanization of the country at the same time. It provides communication between city and countryside, as well as industry and agriculture. The article presents the construction of railway Warsaw − St. Petersburg and its influence on the economic development of towns and settlements in the Vilnius and Białystok regions. The study used the following test methods: comparative method and analysis of literature. The construction of the railway Warsaw − St.Petersburg needed rich human resources, so employment increased in those areas where it was built. In addition, owing to the railway, many settlements transformed in the city, and also several towns started. The settlements laid down nearby the new railway were growing rapidly, because there was convenient communication and people got offers of a job. However, economy in settlements placed remotely to the railway often deteriorated due to population migration to the towns localized at railway stations. Cities the trains were passing achieved high rates of economic growth. The railway fostered the growth of population, development, construction, development of production, and, in the case of Białystok, especially the development of the textile industry